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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- At one point during a lively news conference Tuesday, a nonagenarian Twin Cities reporter offered some veteran advice for Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman:

If you don't take that tackle, you're crazy.

"Well, maybe I am," Spielman said in a way that wasn't entirely unconvincing.

If Spielman has demonstrated any particular draft approach in his first year as general manager, it's to create the public impression that he's just crazy enough to do anything. That includes making something other than the obvious pick at the No. 3 overall spot in the draft, a decision he claims to be considering by insisting that USC left tackle Matt Kalil has "exactly the same grade" as LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon. It includes the kind of unsolicited information he passed along Tuesday, notably his unprompted claim that trade discussions for the No. 3 pick have "really heated up" in the past 24 hours and that there is already "potential for a trade."

And it includes the kind of non-traditional thought Spielman espoused when wondering "how important a left tackle" is "compared to having another playmaker on offense."

The only rule of NFL draft season is that no one tells the truth, so I certainly won't judge Spielman if he has joined the fun. That's how it works. But it leaves us with a few options in reading his exotic tea leaves:

1. Spielman is covering for a decision he long ago made to draft Kalil at No. 3, hoping to convince a team to trade up for either Claiborne, Blackmon, Trent Richardson or Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill and then grab Kalil a few spots below.
2. He's pulling a double Jedi-mind trick, telling the complete truth -- that he has given strong consideration to not drafting Kalil -- because he assumes everyone will believe he's lying.
3. With the No. 1 and No. 2 selections all but made, Spielman figures he has nothing to lose by floating every scenario, operating from a position of strength and seeing where it takes him.

Kalil, Claiborne, Blackmon, Richardson and even Tannehill are all excellent prospects. But the two players most likely to spur movement at the top of the draft are going to go No. 1 (Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck) and No. 2 (Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III). Do we think a team behind the Vikings will give up a second choice to draft Kalil, Claiborne, Richardson, Blackmon or Tannehill? With three days remaining before the draft, that question is at best debatable.

So the question returns to whom Spielman would select at No. 3. Many of us have wondered why he would draft Claiborne, an elite press corner, for a defense that has long employed the Cover 2 scheme. So Spielman went out of his way Tuesday to note those objections, noting the Vikings play "some" Cover 3 and could move to more Cover 1 with new defensive coordinator Alan Williams. (Anything would be better than last season's cover-no-one defense.)

In the end, I'm going to continue to guess that Kalil is the pick. After the quarterback, is there a more important position on offense -- or on an entire team? I'm not sure. The Vikings have a chance to lock down that position. They're not crazy enough to ignore that opportunity -- I don't think.

I didn't post the first two installments of "Gruden's QB Camp" because neither Andrew Luck nor Robert Griffin III figure remotely into the NFC North's plans. But as the series continues, I think it'll be both fun and instructive to view clips from some of the lesser-known quarterbacks in this draft. The Green Bay Packers or even the Detroit Lions could be looking to draft for depth, and regardless, these videos offer unique insight into the way coaches and players view the game. So without further ado, let's watch Jon Gruden and Arizona State's Brock Osweiler discuss how his height works for and against him.

We've downplayed the Minnesota Vikings' realistic chances for trading down in the draft, especially after the St. Louis Rams shipped the No. 2 pick to the Washington Redskins and ensured that the draft's top two quarterbacks would be off the board when the Vikings turn arrived at No. 3 overall.

Did we speak too soon? Peter King of Sports Illustrated tweeted an interesting scenario that merits further inspection. Here's how the dominoes would fall:

1. Free agent quarterback Matt Flynn signs with the Seattle Seahawks. Flynn is visiting Seattle on Thursday.
2. The Miami Dolphins, thought to be in search of a new starter, lose out on the Peyton Manning sweepstakes.
3. The Dolphins turn their sights to the draft, where they would have no chance to select Stanford's Andrew Luck or Baylor's Robert Griffin III.
4. Their next-highest rated quarterback is Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill, who just so happened to be coached there by new Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman.
5. Given the NFL's annual shortage of quarterbacks, the Dolphins grow concerned about Tannehill still being available when they draft at No. 8 overall.
6. The Dolphins believe their chief competition for Tannehill is the Cleveland Browns at No. 4.
7. As a result, the Dolphins offer the Vikings a deal to move up to No. 3. The Vikings move back to No. 8 and pick up multiple additional picks as a result.

Is Tannehill the third-best player in this draft? I don't think many people would tell you that. But now more than ever, quarterbacks come at a premium. I have no insight into how the Dolphins view Tannehill, but given how crazy teams get about quarterbacks this time of year, I couldn't rule out this scenario. Could you?

I'm not a big chaos theory guy, but more than a few of you broke it out over the weekend in protest of Friday night's "what might have been" post on the Minnesota Vikings missing out on the Robert Griffin III sweepstakes.

Apparently, part of chaos theory is the "Butterfly Effect," which is the name of an Ashton Kutcher movie but also refers to the idea that one small change in a timeline could have dramatic impact on what comes next. It's the equivalent, for example, of a butterfly in California fluttering his wings and causing something that causes something that causes something that leads to a blizzard in the Northeast.

In this case, Steve of Tucson, Ariz., and others argued, a Vikings loss to the Washington Redskins in Week 16 would have led to new circumstances in Week 17 and beyond. Technically, the Vikings would have secured the No. 2 pick if the only thing that changed was their Week 16 result. But the butterfly effect rules out such linear dot-connecting. It won't let us say the Vikings would have claimed the No. 2 overall pick if they had lost that game rather than won it, and it prevents us from concluding that the Redskins would have offered the Vikings the same deal (two first-round picks and a second-rounder to swap 2012 first-rounders) under that scenario.

Wrote Steve: "People need to realize the butterfly effect of a loss to the Redskins would have probably resulted in Washington ending up with the tenth overall pick as opposed to the sixth, thus not making the trade to the second overall quite as promising to fill holes in the line this year."

I'm all for introducing counter-arguments, especially when they veer into cool areas of science fiction and physics. But in this case, I wonder if the ladybug, er butterfly, effect is providing a safety net for those who can't accept how randomly the Vikings missed out on, at the very least, a franchise-altering haul of additional draft picks.

Even with the Redskins at No. 10, which ostensibly would require more compensation to move up to No. 2, I'm thinking this trade would still have happened. I'm going to guess the Vikings would have gladly moved from No. 2 to No. 10 in exchange for two more first-round picks and a second-rounder, and it's reasonable to think the Redskins would have offered at least the same to go from No. 10 to No. 2 as they did to go from No. 6 to No. 2.

For you butterflies who think time would have hurtled in a far completely different direction had the Vikings lost that Week 16 game, I'm going to go ahead and pound my fist on my desk. When your roof caves in as a result, I'll join your side.

It's been clear for some time that the Minnesota Vikings wouldn't be in position to trade their No. 3 overall pick to a team that wanted to draft Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. Griffin's performance in last month's NFL scouting combine sealed his spot as the second-best player in the draft, and on Friday night, the St. Louis Rams traded the No. 2 pick to the Washington Redskins for a bounty that will make Vikings fans rue the day their team dropped from contention for the No. 2 pick themselves.

As you assuredly know, the Vikings were on track to have the NFL's second-worst record before they defeated the Redskins 33-26 in Week 16. (Tailback Adrian Peterson also suffered a major knee injury in that game, an unrelated but no less serious event.) After Friday night's trade, we now know the difference between winning and losing that game was two future first-round picks and a second-rounder.

That's the premium the Redskins will pay the Rams to swap first-rounders in 2012, presumably to draft Griffin. With Andrew Luck and Griffin expected to go 1-2 in the draft, it's far less likely that a market will emerge for the Vikings' spot at No. 3. If it does, the bounty will be nothing close to what the Rams got from the Redskins.

Obviously, I'm not suggesting the Vikings should have done anything other than play to win against the Redskins. I'm not a proponent of tanking. In the end, that game was just another chapter in the star-crossed history of this franchise. The Vikings will do well to draft USC left tackle Matt Kalil at No. 3 next month, but they missed out on an opportunity to jump-start their rebuilding process with a rare volume of high draft picks in the coming years. Such is life.

We don't typically provide a blow-by-blow of every college pro day, but it's worth noting that at least half of the NFC North's head coaches were in Stillwater, Okla., for Oklahoma State's pro day.

Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith and Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier were both on hand and saw prize receiver Justin Blackmon work out, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Blackmon did not disappoint, running what Thomas reported was an official 4.46 in the 40-yard dash and also hitting 35 inches on the vertical leap.

Both teams have clear needs for a big receiver, but you would think neither team will draft him in their current first-round spots.

The Vikings are situated at No. 3, where you would think they will draft USC left tackle Matt Kalil or else trade down on the off chance that Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III isn't taken at No. 2. The Bears, meanwhile, are in the No. 19 slot and would very likely have to trade up to get him.

Not interested in Peyton Manning's next move? Unenthused by a free-agent market that lost 21 players to the franchise tag? Then come along for the third set of mock drafts this offseason from ESPN analysts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay . You'll need an Insider subscription to see the entire file, but as always, I'll sneak you an NFC North peak.

3. Minnesota Vikings
Kiper's pick: USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil
McShay's pick: Kalil
Seifert comment: This has been a league-wide consensus since the combine, despite general manager Rick Spielman's suggestions that he might value an offensive playmaker higher. The reality is there is no playmaker, offensive or defensive, who measures up to Kalil's overall value, and it's rare for someone to trade up to the top of the draft for a left tackle. The only way this doesn't happen is if the St. Louis Rams draft Kalil at No. 2. But the Rams are widely expected to trade the pick to a team seeking Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

19. Chicago Bears
Kiper's pick: Ohio State offensive lineman Mike Adams
McShay's pick: Notre Dame receiver Michael Floyd
Seifert comment: Floyd went earlier in Kiper's mock, leaving the talented but underachieving Adams for the Bears. General manager Phil Emery hasn't established his priorities publicly, but the need for a big receiver is acute and No. 19 overall isn't a bad spot to draft one.

23. Detroit Lions
Kiper's pick: South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore
McShay's pick: Adams
Seifert comment: Gilmore would fit a big need. There are concerns about Adams' intensity, but in the end general manager Martin Mayhew won't allow need to trump talent. If he likes Adams' talent, he'll be willing to pass over the best cornerback remaining on the board.

28. Green Bay Packers
Kiper's pick: USC linebacker Nick Perry
McShay's pick: Clemson defensive end Andre Branch
Seifert comment: Most mock drafters have the Packers choosing a player who could enhance their pass rush, be it a defensive end or linebacker. It's just a matter of who.

INDIANAPOLIS -- I spent most of my time here at the NFL scouting combine interviewing NFC North general managers and coaches about the wide variety of issues facing their teams. Many of our posts reflected the information from those interviews, and not all of them directly related to the draft preparations going on here.

So before heading to the airport, let me leave you with a smattering of draft-related thoughts and observations, grounded heavily in some time that ESPN.com bloggers spent Saturday with draft analyst Todd McShay, and tie them as best I can to our four teams.

Onward….

As of today, Feb. 26, it appears quite likely that quarterbacks will be the top two picks in the draft. Stanford's Andrew Luck will go No. 1 overall to the Indianapolis Colts, and given the importance of the position and the number of quarterback-needy teams out there, it's easy to imagine the St. Louis Rams trading out of the No. 2 pick with a team that wants to draft Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

McShay said he would be "really surprised" if that weren't the case, and I can't disagree with him, especially after Griffin ran a stunning 4.38 (unofficially) in the 40-yard dash Sunday morning. Griffin almost certainly is out of the conversation for the Minnesota Vikings at No. 3, in some ways an opportune development because it prevents them from facing a decision on Griffin a year after drafting Christian Ponder.

And that scenario would leave them eligible to select the top non-quarterback in the entire draft at No. 3, a position USC tackle Matt Kalil appears to have solidified in the past few days.

We've written about the possibility that the Vikings would trade down to collect more picks, and then finding what general manager Rick Spielman called a "functional" left tackle later in the draft. Their chances for trading down would drop dramatically if Griffin goes at No. 2, and McShay agreed that the Vikings couldn't (or shouldn't) pass up the opportunity to get Kalil.

"I don't see how it can't be him," McShay said. "People say he is not tough, that he's not competitive. I don't think that at all. I think he's feisty, I think he has a mean streak. I think he's physical. He does everything right.

"The only thing you can point to and say it's not up to level is his strength. I don't think he anchors really well. You watch him sometimes and outside rushers get in and push him back. But then he's able to reset himself, sink his hips and get reset.

"That's the one thing he can improve upon, but he is ready. He is as ready as you're going to get. Kind of like [Cleveland Browns left tackle] Joe Thomas, but a little bit more physical coming out."

Some of you might think that Ohio State left tackle Michael Adams could be a backup plan for the Vikings if they trade down. Here's what McShay said about him: "Everything physically you're looking for. He's big and can move… but you just don't know what you're going to get from him. You're watching and he'll be protecting the passer and he'll decide I don't want to take another step. … Some plays he plays and some plays he doesn't, and you can't have that at left tackle. He teases you."

The Chicago Bears probably will look for receiving help in the first few rounds of the draft, but it might be smart to temper expectations for this class. The consensus top receiver, Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon, isn't built like the elite receivers of this era and, although he hasn't run, isn't expected to flash top-end speed.

And most of the receivers after him after resume holes as well. Let's go through a quick run-down with McShay:

• Blackmon: "He will struggle to meet the expectations. He'll be a good receiver, don't get me wrong. But I don’t think he's going to be that A.J. Green or Calvin Johnson."
• Baylor's Kendall Wright, a likely top-25 pick: "I like him, but he drops a lot of passes and has a lot of double-catches."
• LSU's Ruben Randle: "Of the guys 6-foot-2 and above, he can get down the field the best and is the most athletic. But he is still developing as a route-runner, and he quit on them in the national championship game."
• Notre Dame's Michael Floyd: "He is really good and has a little more explosiveness."
• South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery: "If he wants to play [he can be good]. You look at his body and, yeah, he's down to 216 pounds. But it's a 'Jenny Craig' 216. He played at 235, I was told, and put on a little weight after the season. Then he just dumped weight. It was more of a 'get it out of my system so I don't come in at 230.'"
• Rutgers' Mohamed Sanu: "I like him, he's physical, he has good hands, but he's way overrated. He can't get open."

For any team looking to upgrade the interior of its offensive line, perhaps the Detroit Lions, could find a late-round steal in Stanford guard David DeCastro. McShay considers him one of the top 15 players in the draft and "as good an interior lineman I've scouted," but suggested that his status as a guard means teams will devalue him. That makes DeCastro most likely to be drafted between picks 16-25, McShay said.

The Lions have the No. 23 pick.

Last year, the Lions capitalized on the unexpected fall of highly-regarded defensive tackle Nick Fairley and snatched him up at No. 12 despite minimal need at the position. Could that happen again with North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples?

Coples is one of the draft's top pass rushers, and those players usually are taken among the top 15 players in the draft. But questions about Coples' work ethic could make him available to the Bears at No. 19 or possibly the Lions at No. 23.

McShay said the "percentage of him being a bust is too high" to make a commitment to Coples at the top of the first round.

"He flashes and there are sometimes when he decides to play," McShay said. "But there are times when he stands up. It's like he has a union deal. But when he does it, he's so good. He is so good. He's big, he's quick, he's powerful. He can double-move you. He can beat you with his hands, he can drive you back."

This draft should be a convenient one for the Green Bay Packers, who would benefit from a talent influx on their defensive line at No. 28 overall. McShay said the defensive tackle group is deep in the second and third rounds and there will be "a bunch of guys in the late-round first, early-second rounds who can come in and play."

Mississippi State's Fletcher Cox "is probably the best of that group," McShay said of the linemen who could project into a 3-4 as either a lineman or outside linebacker. Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe could nose tackle or end and is "weirdly athletic at 330 pounds," said McShay.

Other possibilities there include USC defensive end Nick Perry, Syracuse's Chandler Jones and Clemson's Andre Branch.

INDIANAPOLIS -- We don't yet have the official times on Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III's 40-yard dash. But unless they vary wildly from the unofficial times he just posted, I think the Minnesota Vikings are -- in a perverse way -- in the clear.

If there were any doubt before, it's now almost impossible to imagine Griffin being available to the Vikings at No. 3 overall in the NFL draft. His unofficial times of 4.38 and 4.41 in Sunday morning's workout solidified his status as the second-most popular player in this draft after Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

For better or worse, the Vikings almost certainly won't face the wrenching decision on whether to draft Griffin a year after selecting quarterback Christian Ponder. You would have to assume that either the St. Louis Rams, or a team that trades up to the No. 2 pick, will draft him instead.

Without question, the Vikings would be in a better spot if Griffin were available at No. 3. But that's now a matter of fantasy, not reality. For posterity's sake, at least, the Vikings won't have the chance to be the team that passed on a rare talent because of needs elsewhere. Now, the Vikings should be able to draft USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil with a clear conscience.

That's my quick take. Carry on with your Sunday morning.

We're Black and Blue All Over:

INDIANAPOLIS -- The media portion of the 2012 NFL scouting combine wraps up Sunday, and soon I'll be making my way back to NFC North blog headquarters. While we have a moment, let's catch up on some Sunday morning headlines around the division:

• Chicago Bears offensive lineman Gabe Carimi, their 2011 first-round draft pick, is hoping to have recovered from a series of knee surgeries in time to participate in the Bears' offseason program in April. Jon Greenberg of ESPNChicago.com has more.
• The Bears need receiving help, but signing free agent receivers is no sure thing, writes Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune.
• It's time for the Detroit Lions to start addressing their aging offensive line, writes John Niyo of the Detroit News.
• The Lions aren't expected to off a restricted free agent tender to linebackers Ashlee Palmer, writes Tim Twentyman of the team's web site.
• Dave Birkett of the Detroit News wonders if USC defensive end Nick Perry will be available with the Lions' No. 23 overall pick in the first round.
• Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel breaks down what players likely will be gone when the Green Bay Packers draft at No. 28 and what players might be options for them to draft.
• Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette: "The Green Bay Packers shouldn’t have much troubling marrying their needs to the best player available in the first round of this year’s NFL draft. All they have to do is take the best defensive player on their board."
• Buyers should beware of pending free agent quarterback Matt Flynn, according to analyst Brian Billick via Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com.
• Dan Wiederer of the Star Tribune wonders if the Minnesota Vikings should consider drafting Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.
• The Vikings should avoid getting cute in the draft, warns Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• If Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is ready to play in Week 1, it will come on a limited basis, writes Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com.

INDIANAPOLIS — As my AFC West colleague Bill Williamson notes the Kansas City Chiefs appear to be leaving all options open when it comes to competition for quarterback Matt Cassel. One of those options is veteran Kyle Orton, who played well in 2011 after the Chiefs beat out the Chicago Bears to claim him in Week 12.

If the Chiefs go in another direction — and their options appear to range anywhere from Peyton Manning to Robert Griffin III — it wouldn't be surprising for the Bears to pursue Orton as the backup to Jay Cutler.

My guess is that Orton hopes to land in a place where he would have a better chance to play, and a reunion with the Bears would represent a resignation to backup status that Orton might not be ready to make yet. But it makes a lot of sense for Orton to be high on the Bears' list regardless.

Speaking generally this week, coach Lovie Smith made clear he wants to upgrade a position that was largely responsible for the Bears' disappointing finish after Cutler broke his thumb in Week 11.

"We thought we had a better plan at the quarterback position. I knew how valuable Jay was to us. That won't change. But we do need to get ourselves in a better position at that backup quarterback position. So you start with that. We have a lot of options out there. I think this is an attractive place for a quarterback."

Just something to keep in the back of your player acquisition files, at least for now.

The NFL's annual scouting combine opens Wednesday and will conclude next Tuesday. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Media interviews begin Thursday morning and continue through Sunday, and I'll be on hand for an access schedule that should net us time with the general manager and/or coach of every NFC North team over the next few days.

Although we don't have access to most of the workouts themselves, dozens of players should be available for interviews. I'll feed the blog with zeal, of course, but to help sharpen our focus, let's consider a few important NFC North storylines to follow. If you have other ideas, hit the mailbag.

The value of the No. 3 position: Historically, the combine has helped solidify the top of the draft. We don't always leave Indianapolis knowing the order of the top few picks, but we generally know which players will comprise that pool -- knowledge that should help the Minnesota Vikings determine who they'll have to choose from at No. 3 and how intense trade interest will be.

We should know, for example, if USC's Matt Kalil is unquestionably the draft's top left tackle, or if there are any lingering doubts about his status. Is Kalil good enough that the St. Louis Rams will consider him at No. 2 overall? We'll get a better idea of interest in Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. Would the Rams trade out of No. 2 with a Griffin-infatuated team?

Finally, what other options would the Vikings have if they neither draft Kalil nor trade out of the spot? Is LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne a top-3 pick? What about Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon or Alabama running back Trent Richardson?

That Mega-contract: The Detroit Lions' tight salary cap situation has been one of our top offseason storylines, and presumed relief would begin with extending the contract of receiver Calvin Johnson. As it stands, Johnson is scheduled to have a cap number of around $22 million in 2012 and, if unaddressed, would be eligible for a franchise tag of around $26 million in 2013. The proximity of agents and team executives at the combine often fosters productive negotiations, and it's safe to assume that Lions president Tom Lewand will have some talks with Johnson's agent, Bus Cook.

The Lions aren't yet in crunch time with Johnson, but reducing his cap number by March 5 would make it easier for them to use the franchise tag on defensive end Cliff Avril, as they reportedly plan to do. Johnson has most of the leverage in this situation and figures to emerge, eventually, as the NFL's highest-paid receiver and possibly the best-paid non-quarterback in the league.

Second-tier pass rushers: The Green Bay Packers certainly will spend time negotiating with their free agents, from tight end Jermichael Finley to center Scott Wells to special teams ace Jarrett Bush. But it's also safe to assume they'll focus on prioritizing the pool of pass rushers who could be available to them at the bottom of the first round, or possibly in a trade to move up in the second round.

Elite pass rushers usually don't get past the top half of the first round, putting the Packers in a race to find the next Brooks Reed, the Houston Texans' second-round pick in 2011 who started 11 games and had six sacks as a rookie. Scouts Inc. currently has two defensive ends with grades that would give them value at the end of the first round: Syracuse's Chandler Jones and USC's Nick Perry.

Secondary help: To varying degrees, all four NFC North teams could use an influx of defensive backs. Given the league-wide passing explosion in recent years, it's fair to say there are plenty of other teams on that list as well. That means searching far and wide for talent, and to that end, Scouts Inc.'s Kevin Weidl offers a list of 12 small-school defensive backs who should get attention.

You'll need an Insider subscription to see the entire list, but it's topped by former Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who spent last season at North Alabama. It also includes Montana cornerback Trumaine Johnson and Coastal Carolina cornerback Josh Norman.

WR depth: If new Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery takes to heart a suggestion from his quarterback, he'll have an interesting group of big receivers to evaluate this week. "Anyone really over 6-2 at this point is going to look good," Jay Cutler said this week on ESPN 1000.

It's safe to assume that Blackmon won't be available when the Bears draft at No. 19 overall. The rest of ESPN anlayst Mel Kiper's list top five receivers looks like this: Baylor's Kendall Wright, Notre Dame's Michael Floyd, LSU's Rueben Randle and South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery. Wright is a 5-10 speedster, so if the Bears truly focus on big receivers, our combine focus will be on Floyd (6-3), Randle (6-4) and Jeffery (6-4).

Related: For those interested, here is a comprehensive schedule for the players invited to Indianapolis, beginning with medical testing for three position groups who will arrive Wednesday.

We'll have some fun with the possibility of the Minnesota Vikings drafting Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III at No. 3 overall, but I think we all know their more likely selection is USC left tackle Matt Kalil. The video offers an update on the pre-combine work Kalil is putting in at Athlete's Performance.

As we discussed in the weekend mailbag, I am reserving the right to make an issue of Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III's potential availability to the Minnesota Vikings.

The franchise appears committed to Christian Ponder as its quarterback of the future, but that could change if they deem Griffin too good of a prospect to pass up. So for now, at least, Griffin is going to be an NFC North story. Check out the video to find out what he's been up to lately.

Thanks to everyone who responded to the mailbag request this week. Keep in mind that the best mailbag questions, at least in the mind of the person choosing said questions for publication, have cross-division appeal and usually range in scope beyond simple fact-finding. (Boooring!) Remember, we also tend to have impromptu Q&As on Twitter (@espn_nfcnblog) and on our ranging Facebook page (Kevin Seifert Espn), complete with an awesomely new cover photograph.

Onward…

In his usual diplomatic style, Ben of Denver notes our post on the Minnesota Vikings' plans for the No. 3 overall pick and writes: So I just want to be sure, you would rather have Christian Ponder over Robert Griffin III? (Andrew Luck is going to Indy). The guy who was the best pick in the draft simply because he was a QB taken in the first round, that's the guy you would rather have? Your blind love and endless defense of Ponder since that absurd proclamation entered your mind has been truly funny over the past nearly a full year now, but it has to end. Please.

Kevin Seifert: Shortly after the 2011 draft, I did in fact nominate Ponder as the best pick an NFC North team made. I thought at the time that the Vikings had no choice but to begin the process of finding their next quarterback, and I didn't agree with the idea that they should have waited for a future draft to take a higher-rated prospect. When you're talking about the quarterback position, you throw out conventional draft wisdom if you think you can get someone who can be a consistent starter.

I still think the Vikings made the right decision, but I also have written that Ponder's rookie season was the most disappointing in the division. He'll have an entire offseason to get himself straight and demonstrate why the Vikings went the route they did.

Whether I would pick Griffin this season wasn't the point of the post Ben referred to. All I've said so far is that the Vikings have offered no real indication that they'll consider Griffin, assuming Luck goes No. 1 overall. I haven't made my mind up on whether it would be wise for the Vikings to double up on quarterbacks at this moment. But I promise you, we'll get to that topic over the next few months.

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Mike of Atlanta writes: Here's a scenario I haven't really heard anyone talk about: Devin Hester is starting to get up there in years (30 this November). It seems to me that speed is one of those things that drops off faster for players than other attributes that make a player successful in the NFL. The Bears tied up Dave Toub for at least the immediate future, virtually guaranteeing a competitive special teams corps. Wouldn't now be the best time for the Bears to leverage Hester -- who has always underperformed at receiver, which is a position they need to grow at -- to a team that needs a return man, in return for a tight end or a draft pick that could bolster other positions, and use one of their mid-to-late round picks to pick up another speedster?

Kevin Seifert: You're right, Mike. No one has really mentioned that. I have to say I double-checked Hester's birthday to make sure that he will in fact turn 30 during the season. He will. His career has moved quickly.

I think what football people would tell you is that speed is only part of Hester's success. His open-field running skills, his instincts and his innate knowledge of how to set up blocks have all contributed. That's why it's reasonable to believe he'll be really effective for years to come, even if he loses the top end of his speed.

Brian Mitchell, whose return records Hester has broken, was never a speedster. He played until he was 35 years old.

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Robin of Chanhassen, Minn., writes: Any possibility the Green Bay Packers surprise us all and go after Cliff Avril?

Kevin Seifert: Any discussion on Avril presumes the Lions decide against using their franchise tag on him and aren't able to get him signed to a long-term deal before free agency opens March 13. And anything connecting the Packers to another team's veteran free agent suggests a reversal of general manager Ted Thompson's recent player acquisition habits.

With those two major caveats, Avril is an intriguing prospect because his size (260 pounds) and athletic ability suggest he could make a successful transition to outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. It probably makes more sense to consider him a linebacker in the Packers' scheme than thinking he might bulk up to become a true 3-4 defensive end.

NFL teams rarely allow bona fide pass rushers to reach the open market, and if Avril is available, perhaps that would be enough for Thompson to get involved. The Packers have limited salary cap space this offseason, and they already have significant money tied up in linebackers Desmond Bishop and A.J. Hawk, not to mention the looming extension they'll need to give Clay Matthews in the next year or two.

But Thompson would be well advised to give it careful thought, if nothing else, if he has the opportunity to team Matthews with a pass-rusher of Avril's accomplishments and weaken a division rival at the same time.

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John of San Diego writes: Avril: "A lot of teams don't think the Lions will let me hit free agency. But a few teams have called." Did the new CBA do away with tampering?

Kevin Seifert: John accurately pulled that quote from a Detroit Free Press story. Tampering is still against NFL rules. I guess the best way to put it is that we would all be naïve to think it doesn't occur at some level. And usually, what goes around comes around. Avril later clarified his comments to the Free Press, saying other players have heard their coaches say they would like to have a player like him.

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Dave of Ithaca, New York, writes: How much cap room do you think the Lions can realistically make in order to try and keep Avril and Stephen Tulloch around? Can they keep them both? Do you foresee any surprise cuts for guys like Corey Williams or Stephen Peterman in order to make it happen?

Kevin Seifert: At last check, the Lions were pretty close to the NFL's projected limit of $120 million for 2012. I have to admit that I don't see how the math works for them to re-sign both Avril and Stephen Tulloch, even if they are able to extend the contract of receiver Calvin Johnson and reduce his cap number for 2012. There will also have to be some combination of roster cuts/restructuring and salary cap tricks, including borrowing from future years.

Williams' name surfaces often as a possible cap casualty, mostly because he's scheduled to earn $5 million in 2012 but also because the Lions drafted a defensive tackle (Nick Fairley) in the first round last year. Williams seems a more likely candidate than Peterman.